200,000 Nigerian refugees seek asylum in Cameroon, Niger, Chad – UNHCR

Regional Representative for West Africa, United Nation High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), Liz Ahua, has disclosed that 200,000 Nigerians are currently in Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

Ahua who stated this in a press briefing in Bauchi yesterday said the refugees were sacked by insurgent activities that has ravaged the Northern region. She said the refugees are willing to return to Nigeria but the fear of uncertainty is preventing them.

She added that these refugees are traumatized due to the activities of insurgency stating that over five million people are traumatized. She said the Commission was so concern about the traumatized state of both the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and refugees in the neighboring countries.

“We work with partners to support the refugees with education and medical facilities because they are no more living in their country of national; so we have to give them adequate support.

We have the responsibility to support them by providing physical and legal protection for them. We have been providing capacity building to assist them and we are working on providing more shelter for them. We are proud of the host community for the care given to them in Bauchi.”

“We spoke with many of the IDPs and the women and children were crying due to hardship. They told us their needs which are education, shelter and health needs.

Some of them came from Yobe, Adamawa, Borno among other states and they have to trek for more than two months to get to where they are camped.” “The women complained of education because their children are out of schools and they want them to go back to school.

They also complained of school materials, furniture to enable the children learn in a good environment.

“They also complained of means of livelihood because many of them were into trade before they were displaced so the women need to be empowered to be able to take care of their children,” she said.